Automatic furnace-feeder.



.No. 794,853. 7 PATENTED JULY 18, 1905. H-. G. 00X.

AUTOMATIC FURNACE FEEDER.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.14, 1903.

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No. 794,853. PATENTED JULY 18, 1905.

' H G. COX. 7

AUTOMATIC FURNACE FEEDER.

AYPLICATION FILED NOV. 14, 1903.

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Jnvcnfoz Q moi/M90040 r-l I 1 Henry G.Cox g w No. 794,853. PATENTED JULY 18, 1905.

H. G. 00X.

AUTOMATIC FURNACE FEEDER.

APPLIUATION FILED NOV.14, 1903.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Henry G. Cox

W figgi UNITED STATES Patented July 18, 1905.

HENRY G. COX, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

AUTOMATIC FURNACE-FEEDER.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 794,853, dated July 18, 1905.

Application filed November 14, 1903- Serial No. 181,184.

To (LZZ whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY G. COX, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Furnace-Feeders, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my said invention is to provide means whereby at regular and predetermined intervals certain quantities of fuel may be automatically delivered to a furnace.

It consists in a fuel-feeding chute embodying a succession of compartments adapted to contain the charges of fuel and having. pivoted doors and suitable fastenings which are arranged to be operated by electrical devices controlled by a clock mechanism, as will be hereinafter more particularly described and claimed.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts, Figure l is a transverse vertical sectional view through a furnace and the fuelfeeding chute, illustrating a suitable arrangement of compartments in the latter and also showing a series of batteries as the means of supplying the necessary current and a clock for operating the apparatus arranged conveniently thereto; Fig. 2, a top or plan View, on a considerably-enlarged scale, of a fragment of the fuel-chute; Fig. 3, a side elevation of said fuel-chute also on an enlarged scale; Fig. 1, a detail view similar to a portion of Fig. 3, but on a still further enlarged scale; Fig. 5, a front elevation of the clock-face, separately showing the contacts and wiring by which it is enabled to control the operation of the apparatus at predetermined times; and Fig. 6 aview, largely diagrammatic, in which the electrical connections are shown.

The furnace may be of any suitable construction. Leading upwardly and outwardly at an incline from the combustion-chamber 15 is a fuel-chute 16, having near its lower end a damper-door 17 and at intervals above a series of division-doors, as 18, whereby said chute is divided into compartments to contain the fuel charges, as many or as few as is desired. These doors are hung on transverse shafts 19, upon one end of each of which is a latch-arm 20, which is adapted to engage with a catch-bar 21, pivoted to the side of the fuelchute, as by pivot 22. Arranged directly alongside each catch-bar is a suitable electromagnet 23, to which said catch-bar 21 forms an armature. not energized, a suitable spring, as 51, holds this catch-bar up into engagement with the latch-arm 20. When, however, said electromagnet is energized by the means presently to be described, the catch-bar 21 is drawn thereby out of engagement with the latcharm 20, and thus the shaft 19 and the partition or door 18, carried thereby, is freed, so as to move under the force of the fuel resting against it,aided, preferably, by the weighted arm 10 and its weight 11.

Referring now especially to Fig. 1, it will be noticed that a series of batteries 25 is provided as the source of electrical energy and that a clock 9 is connected into the circuit. This clock, as is best shown in Fig. 5, has a series of contact-points 6 carried by its face, which face is insulated from the clock mechanism, and these contact-points are all connected together by suitable wiring 7, as indicated. From the wire connecting the contacts one of the line-wires 41 leads to the magnet, while the other line-wire 42 leads from the clock-hand to the batteries 25, and a continuation 13 thereof beyond the batteries leads to the combined catch-bar and magnetarmature 21 of the first latching mechanism. A wire 44 leads from the magnets to a post 45, carrying a spring 46, which at all times, except when the latch-arm 20 is swung out to the position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 4:, is also in contact with the combined catch-bar and magnet-armature 21. Referring now again to Fig. 5, it will be observed that one clock-hand (preferably the hourhand 8) in its revolutions comes in contact with the contact members 6, provided on the face of the clock, and thus at regular predetermined times operates to establish an electrical circuit, which at all other times remains broken. As will be understood more especially by an examination of Fig. 3, the first operation is to pull down the lowermost or When the electromagnets are leasing the charge of fuel held thereby. At

the conclusion of this operation as the circuit is broken by the travel of the clock-hand and the consequent breaking of contact the spring 51, operating in the opposite direction,

nection is established by way of wire 47' through the electromagnet controlling the next latch-arm of the next door or swinging partition. At the same time contact between the spring-arm 46 and the catch-bar 21 is broken, thus cutting out the first magnet. Then when the clock-hands arrive at the next contact-point the result is to energize this next electromagnet, so as to release the swinging door or partition controlled thereby and deliver another charge of fuel. As this is done circuit is established to the next electromagnet, and so on until the entire series has been operated and all the charges of fuel provided have been discharged into the furnace. By this means, as will be readily understood, I not only arrange for a series of separate discharges of fuel into the combustion-chamber of the furnace and arrange that the same shall take place at predetermined times, but I also at the same time provide a means by which at the time of each discharge there shall be established a circuit by means of which at the proper time the controlling means of the next discharge is operated, thus rendering the whole apparatus completely automatic. As before stated, the number of swinging partitions in the fuel-chute may be as many or as few as may be desired for the purpose, so that by means of this invention I easily provide for the automatic introduction of fresh charges of fuel at half-hourly or hourlyor other predetermined intervals for a period of several hours, thus much reducing the labor of attending the furnace and at the same time insuring absolute uniformity in firing.

The swinging door 17 is merely for the purpose of keeping the opening leading into the fuel-chute closed. As a charge of fuel is discharged from one of the compartments of said chute above it strikes this partition and swinging it forward passes on under it, said partition yielding easily to the force of the blow. As soon as the charge has passed the door will swing back to its place and form an effectual closing of this opening. Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with a furnace, of a fuel-chute, a plurality of swinging partitions dividing said chute into compartments respectively adapted to receive charges of fuel, a latching mechanism for holding each of said partitions closed, an electrical apparatus for tripping such latching mechanism, each latching mechanism except the last being provided with a contact member which as said mechanism is operated serves to form part of an electrical circuit to the next.

2. The combination of an inclined chute, a series of partitions dividing the same into compartments, shafts mounted on said chute upon which said partitions are mounted, latch-arms on said shafts, catch-bars pivoted to the chute for engaging said latch-arms and also forming armatures to electromagnets, said electromagnets, a multiple electrical circuit each branch of which includes one of said electromagnets and the corresponding catch-bar, a series of contact-pieces also included in said circuit, and means for successively engaging said contact-pieces and making and breaking the circuit thereby energizing and deenergizing said magnets.

3. The combination with a furnace, of a fuel-chute, a plurality of swinging partitions dividing said chute into compartments respectively adapted to receive charges of fuel, a latching mechanism for holding each of said partitions closed, an electrical apparatus for tripping such latching mechanism, each latching mechanism except the last being provided with a contact member which as said mechanism is operated serves to form part of an electrical circuit for the next, and means included in the electrical circuit and operating to actuate the electrical tripping apparatus connected with the several partition-latching mechanisms successively and at predetermined times.

4. The combination of a plurality of devices to be released, a latching mechanism connected with each of said devices, an electrical apparatus for tripping each of said latching mechanisms, an electrical circuit for operating said apparatus, means for making and breaking said circuit periodically and thus energizing and deenergizing the electromagnets of said electrical apparatus, and means operated by each said electrical apparatus for throwing the succeeding electrical apparatus into circuit at the time itself is operated.

5. The combination of an inclined chute, a series of pivoted partitions dividing the same into compartments, a latch on each partition, pivoted catch-bars adapted to engage with said latches and also forming armatures to electromagnets and each embodying two electrical contact-pieces, said electromagnets, amultiple electrical circuit each branch of which includes one of said elcctromagnets and the corresponding catch-bar, devices exerting a force upon the catch-bars oppositely to the pull of the magnets, and means for making and breaking IIO the electrical circuit and thus causing the magnets to be energized and denergized, whereby as each magnet is energized the corresponding latch is released, and as said magnet is denergized the corresponding catch-bar is moved to break one contact and make another, thus cutting out its oWn electromagnet and cutting in the next electromagnet.

6. The combination of an inclined chute, a plurality of swinging partitions dividing said chute into compartments respectively adapted to receive charges of material, a latching mechanism for holding each of said partitions closed, an electrical apparatus for tripping said latching mechanism, each latching mechanism eX- cept the last being provided With a contact member which serves to establish the electrical circuit to the next latching mechanism, and means for setting said mechanism into operation.

In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 22d day of October, A. D. 1903.

HENRY G. COX. [L. s]

Witnesses:

CHESTER BRADFORD, JAMES A. WALSH. 

